Hiro: Keyblade Master
by Daraka Endless
Summary: It all started when Hiro, the meister without a weapon partner, met Xion. Monsters called the Beasts of Twilight have come to destroy everything. or so Hiro's dreams keep telling him. Hiro must set out far from home on an epic adventure to save not only his world, but all worlds. Rated T for Language and future romance Please rate and Review!
1. Prologue

Hiro: Keyblade Master

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Soul Eater, or any other Animes or games I may use in the future. The only thing I own is the Story :)

He chased the raven-haired girl throughout the old town. The sun was setting as it always was and fall had just come, leaving leaves of crimson and gold scattered across the ground. There was no one outside, save for the girl and her pursuer. The boy ran harder, his feet pounding on the cobblestone road. He had to catch that girl. But he didn't know why. The girl looked back over her shoulder and, seeing that the boy was a distance behind, stopped for a moment.

When the boy finally began to approach her, she cried out, "Come along now!" She gave him a smirk and disappeared into a large hole in the town's wall that the boy had not seen before. He followed in after her and found himself in a large, wooded area. He looked around for a couple seconds, and then saw the girl walking slowly now no more than one hundred meters away. The boy thought it over and resolved to sneak up on her. He crouched low and began to creep toward the girl slowly, being careful not to step on any of the twigs that had fallen, now making up a large portion of the forest floor.

The boy had almost reached her when a rather animated squirrel appeared on a tree next to him. The squirrel sat there, staring. Now this squirrel, Bucky, was truly interested in this human boy and his short golden hair. He had seen another boy like this, but this could not have been the same one. This boy smelled different. The boy noticed the squirrel and stared back. The squirrel looked into the boys deep, green eyes and they shared the colour of a mighty forest.

Bucky got out an acorn that he had been carrying around all day, and held it out to the human. The boy began to reach out, as if he were accepting a gift. This scene would have been portrayed as a miracle of nature; an amazing bond between two very different species. Except it was at that moment that Bucky threw the acorn at the boy and scuttled up the tree, chattering mischievously.

The acorn struck the boy directly in the eye and he stumbled backwards, shouting and crashing into a pile of leaves. After reorienting himself, the boy got up and brushed himself off. He looked around. The girl was nowhere to be seen. The boy started to search.

After about twenty minutes, the boy got that terrible sensation he was being watched. He turned around and a hooded figure in a black cloak dropped out of a tree behind him.

"Wha!" the boy yelled as he spun around frantically, "Who are you?!" The mysterious person pulled back the hood, revealing the pale, dark haired girl he had been searching for. The girl turned her back on him and began to walk. The boy simply stood there watching.

"You coming?" the girl shouted back over her shoulder.

"Huh? Oh yeah…" the boy replied. She led him through the forest to a pair of black, steel gates, which stood in front of a large mansion.

The boy stared at the building in wonder. Though it had clearly been abandoned many years ago and was now overgrown, the beauty and masterfulness displayed in the architecture was awe-inspiring. Majestic columns and statues adorned the courtyard now crumbling and covered in vines; the stone pathway to the front porch barely visible through the plants that had long since claimed it as their home.

"What is this place?" the boy asked, unable to stop looking around.

"That is not important right now." the mysterious girl answered. "What matters is that any moment now you are going to wake up. Now pay attention. There are creatures, evil creatures that ravage this land. Beasts of Twilight as we call them. At first it was only a local issue, but recently more and more immigrants come here in search of refuge from these monsters."

"Wake up? Monsters?" the boy asked with a puzzled look, "What are you talking about?"

"I'll explain more once you arrive..." the girl said with a sigh, "Come find me my hero."

Hiro awoke in his bed. His head hurt and he didn't know why. There was a knock at the door.

"Hiro! Hurry up! School starts in fifteen minutes!" someone shouted. Kid. That was Kid. Hiro got up and quickly got dressed in his usual attire: purple plaid skinny jeans, white dress shirt, and black tie, and choker. He tossed his text books into his backpack. What was he forgetting?

"Oops…" he said aloud after remembering his homework that he had never finished. "Oh well", he thought and threw it in his bag anyway. He couldn't wait to tell his friends about his odd dream. He was sure Kid would love the mansion, as it was perfectly symmetrical~

2


	2. It Begins

Chapter One

Hiro not only loved his school, he loved learning. Many kids thought him odd for it too. That and he was the only one at the DWMA that didn't have a weapon partner. He tried so hard too. Many of his friends that were weapons tried to help him out, but he had a very unique soul that couldn't seem to resonate with others.

"Again, Hiro" Stein instructed, rubbing his forehead,"but this time try and match _your_ soul with _hers_"

"Yes sir!" Hiro responded, saluting his instructor. Today he was trying to resonate souls with Lucy, a blonde girl two years younger than him. She sighed and transformed into a curved throwing hatchet.

"Now watch closely, okay?" Stein said as he reached down to pick her up. Hiro used his Soul Perception (a unique ability which allowed him to see people's souls). He saw Stein's, which was large and grey-blue, and Lucy's, whose soul was orange yellow and lazily drifting about.

Stein reached down and wrapped his hand around Lucy's mahogany handle, and as he did, Hiro noticed Stein's soul twist and contort to match Lucy's soul wavelength. In seconds Stein's wavelength had slowed to match Lucy's. He picked up the hatchet and swung it around a few times.

"You see, Hiro? See how our souls aren't repelling or fighting? But instead pulsing to the same beat?" Stein asked, never breaking eye contact with Hiro. "Now you try". Unexpectedly, Stein hurled the hatchet directly at Hiro's face. Without thinking, Hiro jumped out of the way just as Lucy was about to slice him in two.

"Hurry up. I have a date in an hour and I need to get ready." Lucy said with an annoyed tone, "and this isn't exactly comfortable." Hiro looked up and saw that Lucy was now lodged in a wall. He stood up and walked hesitantly toward her.

"_You can do this," _Hiro thought. He focused and used his Soul Perception, evaluating what he needed to do. _"Lucy's soul is slow and dull…" _Hiro noticed, _"And mine is…" _Hiro looked down and noted that his soul was large and golden, like bursting aura. He focused on his soul, trying to push it down and make it fit in with Lucy's. Hiro closed his eyes, and when he felt he had it in the right place, he reached out and pulled Lucy out of the wall.

Lucy shrieked. Hiro soul had matched hers, but just for a moment. His soul instantly expanded and overpowered the resonance, nearly crushing her soul. Hiro's eyes snapped open and he dropped (or threw) Lucy, the hatchet landing a few feet away. Lucy transformed back into a human, but she didn't look the same. She was bruised and a light smoke came off of her. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but the only thing that escaped was a weak whimper.

"Are you okay?" Stein asked as he ran over to help her up. Lucy began to stand up, but ultimately fell backwards and blacked out. "Hiro go get the nurse. She will know what to do." Hiro nodded, fear apparent on his face and he ran off to find Medusa.

The next day people kept staring at him. He heard them talking about him in their cliques. Rumors where passed around that he brutally attacked another student.

They thought he was a monster.

That day at lunch Hiro just sat there, examining the design on the table. Blackstar came and sat down next to him. Blackstar stared intently at him for a couple of minutes, until he got bored and decided to use another method.

Blackstar reared back his fist, and flat out punched Hiro in the face, knocking him onto the floor. When Hiro realized what had happened, he jumped up and protested, "What was that for?!"  
"You're way too sad Hiro. Now you'll never be a big hero like _me_, but you could at least cheer up a little." Blackstar said, slapping him on the back. "Listen up, your name is Hiro. You gotta live up to that name. You may never transcend god, but you can at least find a weapon partner and back _me _up when _I_ do." Then Blackstar turned around and walked away.

Far away from Hiro, Xion was under attack. The Twilight Beasts, a scary type of wolves this time, had attacked Twilight Town. She and a couple of the men from the town were fighting them now. She had already exterminated a large number of them, about sixteen she thought, though it was easy to lose count. Xion heard a howl from behind her and she spun around just in time to see a wolf leap out of the tree towards her. She transformed her left arm into the end of a Keyblade and stabbed the Twilit wolf through the chest and it evaporated in a shadow-like cloud. She bolted back to into the town. Xion wasn't going to wait for her meister any longer. She needed him _now_. She looked around frantically. A window. She needed a large window.

She soon found a shop with a large display window, filled with Christmas presents. Xion hardly had time to notice them though. Quickly, she fogged up an area of it with her breath. Xion neatly wrote in the numbers 42-42-564. The whole window shifted and she was looking into the Death Room.

During class, Hiro was called to talk to Lord Death, and Hiro knew why. He had hurt a student. They were giving up on him.

"I'm sorry Hiro; we have been patient with you up until now. You really are a good kid and you have an amazing soul… but you can't control it, and it has gotten to the point where it's hurting people" Lord Death said solemnly. Hiro just looked down and he felt tears form in his eyes. He heard a ringing sound and looked up. It was a call on Lord Deaths mirror. When the line connected he saw a girl in a black cloak with short black hair. She looked familiar…

_"That's the girl from my dream!"_ Hiro thought. She was clearly panicking. She said a couple words to Lord Death that Hiro couldn't quite make out. Then all the sudden a wolf appeared out of nowhere and jumped on top of her. Shadows started leaking through the windows. They took shape and there were now eight large grey wolves in the Death Room.

"Spirit!" Death shouted and a man transformed into a scythe and flew into the Grim Reaper's hands. The wolves were all dead in seconds. In one delicate stroke Lord Death had destroyed all of the Twilit beasts. Then Death looked Hiro in the eye.

"I've found you a weapon"~


	3. Card of a Card

Chapter two

Hiro was shocked.

_"A weapon partner? What?" _he thought. "W-What are you talking about sir?

"Hiro, listen carefully. Go downtown to a Casino called "Number X" and ask for Luxord. Tell them I sent you. When they take you to him, he'll most likely ask you a riddle. It may be confusing, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. After you answer it, Luxord should offer you a favor. Ask him to take you to a place called Twilight Town. Then seek out the girl called Xion from your dream. Is everything clear?" Death asked, now out of breath. Hiro didn't catch a whole lot of it, but he got the gist of what the Grim Reaper was asking.

"Yes sir!" Hiro saluted and bolted out the door of the Death room.

"That boy is going to get himself killed," Spirit said, now a human again. "I just hope he waits until _after_ this is all over…"

Hiro stood outside of the "Number X" casino. He noticed that the neon sign was partly burnt out and now read "Nmer X". In fact, the whole place looked a bit run down. Perhaps it was because of the country's recent economic downfall, which had been struggling with the death of the Phantomhive family, he noted. Hiro had begun to walk inside when two large security guards stepped in front of him.

"This is no place for little kids," one of the guards said, "If we let you walk in there you'd be dead in a minute."

"Oh please," Hiro said, "I'm fifteen and I can handle myself, thanks."

"Watch out man," the other guard put his hands up mockingly, "this one is dangerous!" They both laughed at the teenager. "Go home kid, before we call your mommy!" Hiro glared at them and turned around as if to leave. "That's right kid, Get outta here!" Hiro just grinned.

Then Hiro dropped low and swung his leg at the men, sweeping them off their feet and sending them crashing into the ground. Hiro bolted inside and started looking around unsure of what to do next. He started running through the crowds of people when the guards came in the door.

"We're gonna get you, you little punk!" Hiro heard them shout. He kept running and more security guards appeared. A big burly man came lumbering straight at him and Hiro jumped up, stepped on the man's head, pushing it into the ground, and proceeded to run up the guards back and leapt over a group of people, landing on a nearby poker table. Hiro sprinted away from his mob of pursuers, but was all of the sudden struck to his feet by an unknown force. He tried to stand up but kept falling back to the ground dizzily. When he finally arose minutes later, Hiro found he was surrounded by a circle of huge cards.

_"I must be dreaming..."_ Hiro thought. The cards shifted and a man in a black cloak walked into the circle, the cards closing behind him. The mysterious man pulled back his hood. He must've been in his late twenties, with short blond, almost white hair and an earring in his right ear.

"You made a real mess tonight, boy," the man grinned at Hiro, "You did a real number on a few of my guards. I'm impressed." Hiro was confused, was this man _praising_ him for making a mess? "My name is Luxord or simply "Number Ten. And you are?"

"I'm Hiro, Lord Death sent me to find you"

"Oh my, what an honor. It isn't my time yet, right?" Luxord said with a smile.

"No, I need you to get me to a place called Twilight Town. He said you could help" Hiro explained.

"If the reaper himself sent you, then he must've warned you about my price right? Don't worry I'll give you an easy one" The gambler winked at him and held out five cards to Hiro. "Choose one." Hiro hesitantly reached out and look the one on his far left. Luxord flipped the other cards and they disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Read me the card, boy." Hiro looked down and read the riddle aloud.

"I'm expendable of fifty-two, I am no spade or heart, I'm not allowed in many games, and I'm one card of card" Hiro read. He thought hard_. "Fifty-two, that obviously a deck of cards, and not a spade or heart… that only leaves clubs and diamonds... but what is a card of card? Could it be those extra cards that come with the deck that encourage you to buy other products?" _That seemed unlikely… it hit him. "It's a joker isn't it?"

"Yes it would be a joker. Took you long enough, eh?" Luxord said. Now to Twilight Town?"

"Yes please" Hiro said. Luxord frowned.

"I'm sorry but I am afraid I can't do that. Someone or something isn't letting me create a portal there."

"What?!" Hiro shouted, "So I came here for nothing?!"

"Not necessarily. I could take you to another place."

"But I_ need_ to go to Twilight Town…" Hiro sat down rubbed his temples. _"This has been a long day" _He thought.

"If you want to get to Twilight Town that bad… I could take you to this place I know. Someone there might know another way." Luxord said with a sigh. "No promises though."

Hiro perked up a bit. "I'll try anything. Just take me there."

Twilight Town wasn't holding up very well. Xion sat around a table with a couple of the town's officials.

"Agrabah cannot come to our aid. They also are fighting the monsters." one of the leaders said.

"Same goes for Halloween Town." said another.

"Then it looks like we're on our own…" Xion said, staring out a window.

"When will this "hero" you promised get here, Xion?" the mayor questioned, "I'm not convinced he exists."

"Oh he's real. And he'll be here soon. I hope."

Hiro stepped out of the black and purple portal Luxord had conjured for him. It disappeared in a wispy manner. Hiro turned around and saw a ramshackle sign that seemed as if it were made up of many other signs.

It read "Traverse Town".


	4. Rising Actions

Chapter 3

"Traverse Town?"

Hiro said, rubbing his head. _"That sounds like the name of a really confusing board game…"_ He looked around. There were several shops around. Some selling coats and scarves, while others sold jewelry and trinkets. Hiro smelled a delicious scent. He traced it to a small restaurant with a sign that read "**Baldory's**" Below the name read "**Our cooking is 80% charcoal and 20% broken dishes!**"

_"What kind of a slogan is that?" _Hiro thought. He looked up at a clock tower at the end of the street. "_11:40?! I should find a place to stay the night…" _Hiro wandered around the town looking for a hotel, only getting lost a couple times in the complex maze of streets. He finally found "Betelbed" and walked inside.

Inside the building, Hiro found that it was not at all what he had expected. There were little waterfalls, paper screens, and several paintings of pandas on the wall. The whole lobby had a very oriental feel. Hiro looked around and saw a white robed man at the reception desk and started walking up to the Asian elder. As he was walking, he saw the old man hurl an unknown object at him, saying "Think fast, Kupo!"

Out of pure reflex Hiro caught the object, spun around, and threw it back at the innkeeper, who caught it without moving a muscle. Thought the surprise on his face was eminent. "Out of all the people who have ever walked through those doors, you're the first to throw this back." He held up the object, which turned out to be a nothing more than a tennis ball. "Would you like a room?"

Hiro just nodded, unsure of what to say. "Tonight you will sleep. Tomorrow you will tell me your story." Hiro began to reach for his wallet, but the old man raised his hand in protest. "There is no charge." The man said, "One free night is the least I can do for a meister, Kupo." Then he began walking down a hallway.

_"How did he know I was a meister?"_ Hiro thought.

"Are you going to stand there with that stupid expression or are you going to follow me to your room, Kupo?" the old man said turning around. Hiro began to talk but all he could do was stutter. He instead looked down and began following the man.

Hiro fell asleep quickly, dreaming of the black haired girl Xion, and the adventure that awaited him.

Xion tossed and turned in bed. Her long days granted plenty of stress, which in turn provided ultimately sleepless nights. She hoped this madness would be over before too long. Couldn't she at least get a break? Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Xion there's been an attack at the plaza! Come quick!" a rugged voice, which she identified as guardsman Terry.

_"Ugh. Are you monsters just doing this to keep me from sleeping? For all we know that is your true weakness."_ Xion thought annoyed. _"I've already killed over a hundred of you pricks. Where do you guys keep coming from?" _

Hiro slept well that night, despite sleeping on a mat instead of his own bed back in his apartment. He stretched and walked out of his door. The old man was waiting for him in the lobby. He motioned for Hiro to sit down with him. Hiro pulled up a chair and sat down. Then the old man did something Hiro didn't expect. The man leaped into the air, turning himself into a knife and stabbing into the table. Hiro stared in wonder. He was a weapon!

_"He must have recognized me wavelength as that of a meister last night!" _Hiro concluded. He examined the old man's weapon form. He had become a jagged golden dagger with a dragon shaped handle. After a moment, the elder changed back into a human.

"My name is Yoji. I came here from a far away land many years ago. Now, who might you be Kupo? The old man asked.

"I'm Hiro. I've been trying to get to Twilight Town. Do you know of any way to get there?"

"Slow down. Why are you trying to get to Twilight Town? It is a very dangerous place right now, Kupo."

"I'm going because it's dangerous and I have to help. Supposedly, that is where my weapon partner is… and why do you keep calling me Kupo?"

"I see... My sister Ayaka lives in Twilight town… I haven't heard from her in months though…" Yoji looked down. "I miss her dearly. If you should make it there, please seek her out and tell her that is older brother is worried about her?"

"Of course." Hiro said. _"Ayaka… gotta remember that..." _

"Good good. Then I will take you to see The Steampunk Alchemist. If anyone can help you it's him."

Xion walked to the plaza alone. _"If I needed an escort, they wouldn't be asking me to fight alongside them." _she thought. She saw the inspector in his blue trench coat and walked up to ask him what had happened.

"We are dumbfounded! No creature I know of could do this!" he exclaimed. "See for yourself!" Xion leaned town towards one of the bodies and pulled back the sheet that was covering him. She gasped. His face was _gone._ It had literally been torn off of his head. "Is there anything you have seen in your travels to numerous worlds that could explain this?"

"No…" Xion replied quietly. "This is nothing I've ever seen." She cringed. "But it's horrible."

"Some of the other bodies had hearts, livers, and other internal organs torn out." the inspector continued. "Quite disturbing really" He looked over at Xion, who looked a bit shaken by this. "Xion are you okay? You're looking quite pale…"

"I'm fine. Tell me at once if you find any leads, Inspector." She said. "Now if you'll excuse me…" Xion trailed off. Her eyes rolled back as she fell to the ground. Several men rushed over to her.

"What happened?!" the Inspector demanded.

"Only fainted, sir." one man said.

"Get her home at once." the Inspector ordered. "And even if there is an attack do not disturb her. She needs her rest. This probably happened because she's been overworked."

_"Poor Xion… hopefully your hero gets here soon… I wouldn't fancy having my face ripped off…" _the Inspector thought as the men carried her away.

Hundreds of years ago in the shadowy alleys of The City That Never Was, a disfigured creature lurked. It did not remember its name. It looked down into a puddle on the ground and saw the face of a young boy. An angry, hateful, young boy with pointed teeth and long red hair.

A tall suited man with neat black hair walked up to him. He straightened his glasses and looked at the boy. "Would you like to live forever little one? Live forever and take the lives of millions?"

The little boy knew that word. "Kill?" he asked weakly. Then the boy grinned."Yes. I like to kill…"

"Yes? Then I have a position for you."


	5. Xion's Discovery

Chapter 4

Useless. Xion had searched on into the night through the town library's extensive collection, and the only thing she found was this article buried within the text of a slightly questionable logbook of monsters. She looked around at the mountains of books she had gathered and banged her head on the oak wood desk. _"How does this help me at all?" _Xion thought as she looked at the clock. It had been 10 hours since she began her search. And now, sitting all alone in the candlelight, this was all she had. She looked at the entry again.

Rakks

Little is known of these creatures, since there are no recorded sightings of them. They feed on both humans and animals alike, and are considered extremely dangerous. They have not made an attack in 300 years and are thought to be extinct.

-Eibon

Eibon. Who was that? Xion tore the entry from the book and stood up. She put her black cloak on and gathered her things into her leather satchel and began to leave when she heard something that sounded like purr. She turned around to find a purple cat with a large black hat on sitting on the desk staring at her. "How did you get in here?" Xion asked.

"I climbed through that window" the cat replied and nodded toward a partially open skylight.

"Um…" Xion closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened them the cat was gone and the skylight was closed. "I think I should get more sleep…" Then she turned and left the library, locking the door behind her.

As she walked home she thought. She thought about Eibon. About what a Rakk might look like. About how she was going to solve all this town's problems. She stared at the cobblestone road and kept thinking, growing more worried and more scared with every thought. She looked up at the moon and started to tear up. Why her? Why was this _her _burden?

Splash…

Xion looked down to see what she had stepped in. Blood. A crimson puddle lay under her feet. A drop fell on her back… She looked up and screamed.

There was the Inspector. He was lying backwards out of a second-story window. He was bent over the windowsill in such an unnatural way… And he had no face. A gaping, bleeding hole instead occupied his head.

Xion panicked. _"He's still bleeding…This was recent…"_ she thought. She looked around nervously, heart pounding. "If you're here… Show yourself!" Xion shouted as she transformed her arm into the Keyblade. "I'm not scared of you! I know what you are..." There was a shuffling sound around her…"Rakk!"

An unearthly shriek filled the midnight air. A large winged beast flew down from the rooftop and swooped towards her. Not expecting an air assault, Xion barely had time to block the creature before she was knocked off of her feet. The beast flew high to where Xion could barely see it, then it swooped straight down at her, opening its fanged mouth and screeching at her. Xion held up her sword-arm and the monster bit down on it and pulled her upwards into the sky.

_"Well this isn't good." _She examined as the Rakk took her higher. She strained against its pressing jaws to no avail. Then the creature stopped and they seemed to hang in the sky for a moment before falling back towards the earth at breakneck speed.

As Xion was brutally slammed down onto the street, she felt her back crack in ways it shouldn't. The impact tore her arm from the monster's mouth and the Rakk, seeing she was weak, flew up again to make the final kill.

"_I'm going to die…" _Xion thought with some degree of relief. She changed her arm back and just laid there. There would be no more monsters… no more town in peril… _"But this town needs me. The Inspector needed me. I won't give up on these people!" _She closed her eyes and focused.

Just as the Rakk was upon her, she flashed into a complete Keyblade. The flash stunned the Rakk and caused it to veer off-course and crash into the ground. Xion transformed back in an instant and jumped up. Her arm became a blade as she came down on the creature, piercing its chest. The winged terror cried out as thick green blood splattered everywhere, covering Xion. "This town!" She raised her blade-arm up above the beasts head as it frantically shrieked and squirmed. "Is protected!" Xion yelled as she decapitated the miserable creature.

Xion then felt a pain her back. "Shit…" She blacked out and fell into the remains of the monster. It was morning before Benjamin, the barber, walked outside and saw the scene. He alerted the Twilight Town authorities immediately and Xion was put in a hospital, where she would sleep for many days.

Hiro stood in front of a beat up house in the slums of the city. It was a brisk morning and the sun had just come up, trying to chase the mist away, though it diligently fought to stay. Hiro walked up to the large wooden door and knocked several times with no answer. He reached for the doorknob and tried to turn it. To his surprise the doorknob turned and clicked with each full turn. But the big red door didn't budge. He tried turning it the other way and received the same result.

_"Well that's fantastic…"_ Hiro thought. He looked around and decided to try and find another way in. he walked around the perimeter of the house to find nothing. Not a backdoor. Not even a window. The whole house seemed to be a dark brown prison with a fake door. He sighed and leaned against the house. He felt something jab his back and turned around to find a golden key in a keyhole. _"That's strange... why put a keyhole in a wall?"_ he thought.

He turned the key and a section of the wall two feet away slip down to reveal a dark stairwell leading downwards. "So that's why." He concluded. Hiro pulled the key out and started to walk down the stairs. "Alright Mr. Steampunk Alchemist here I come."

As a couple sat down to dinner outside of "Baldory's", they saw a portal open up across the street. Now this was common here, Traverse Town being a kind of safe haven for refugees. But a very peculiar man walked out. He wore a white button up shirt with a red jacket that complemented his red hair. The couple looked away from him and resumed their conversation.

The man smiled and pulled out a chainsaw.


	6. Now you're thinking with Portals

Chapter 5

Hiro continued down the dark steps under the Steampunk Alchemists house, wondering what awaited him below. At the bottom there was nothing but a cement wall. _"A dead end?" _Hiro thought as he felt around in the dark. _"Maybe there's another keyhole…" _His hand ran over something. There were indentions in the wall. _"A circle? What are these markings inside?" _Hiro puzzled. _"Maybe there is someone behind this wall…" _ He closed his eyes and used his Soul Perception. A huge aura engulfed him. This large golden soul had to be the Steampunk Alchemist!

Hiro banged on the cement wall with no response. Then he noticed something he hadn't before. The circle in the wall was…glowing, as if it had a soul. Stone couldn't have a soul. Hiro reached his hand out to the wall. He definitely felt a soul. _"What if I…?"_ Hiro resonated with the wall, sending his soul wavelength outward into the stone.

The wall exploded and sent Hiro flying backwards on the stairs. _"What just happened?" _Hiro thought as he rubbed his head. A figure stood above him. A man out of time as one would say. He was a younger man, mid-twenties perhaps, and wore a top hat with goggles on it, a white shirt with a leather vest, and a brown trench coat. "Are you the Steampunk Alchemist?"

"Obviously. Now would you mind explaining what the hell just happened?"

Yoji was cleaning a room when he heard the front door open. "I'll be with you in a moment!" he called out.

"You'll be with me _now_." A voice whispered in his ear. Yoji felt the sharp blades of a chainsaw against his back. "Unless you'd like your sister to end up with this," He gestured with his chainsaw, "through her chest." Yoji turned around to see a red haired man with deep green eyes.

"Shinigami?!" Yoji stammered in disbelief.

"Yes, now, where did the Hiro child run off to?"

"I-I just felt a soul and I tried to resonate with your wall and it blew up…" Hiro tried to explain. _"That sounded way better in my head…"_

"You used alchemy." The Steampunk Alchemist revealed. "You used your soul to open the door."

"But how? I didn't mean to… What was that symbol on the door?"

"A transmutation circle. It channels your soul's energy to rearrange molecules. Only you pushed too hard and instead of opening the door, you blew it up. Quite impressive I must admit. Especially since it was an accident."The man gestured for Hiro to follow him. They walked inside the room, which was filled with complex copper machines. Tubes and wired ran everywhere, connecting consoles to boxes to tanks of odd red liquid. The concrete floor was covered with detailed transmutation circles the only lighting in the room came from 4 old oil lamps in each corner.

"So who are you and why are you here anyway?"

"Um. I'm Hiro. Well I need to get to Twilight Town… and I talked to Luxord… brought me to Traverse Town… and then a man named Yoji brought me here. Can you help me?"

"Depends on why you want to go. Twilight Town isn't exactly a pleasant place right now. There is a great evil there. A Rakk was killed there just recently."

"A Rakk?" Hiro asked.

"Face Eater. Imagine a scaly mermaid with a lizard head and wings running from the wrists to the tail."

"I'd rather not…" Hiro said as he shook his head. "I'm going to help. Lord Death told me that I would find a weapon partner there. And there's this girl in trouble that I dreamt about. Oh and Yoji has a sister there." The Steampunk Alchemist looked confused. _"Once again, sounded way better in my head." _

"I think I caught most of that… but it doesn't matter. I'd need an open portal there first. Then I could open a portal here and tether them together." He sat down at a computer console. "And as of right now, there are no open portals in Twilight Town."

Hiro rubbed his forehead. "Well…" All of the sudden a crash came from upstairs. "What was that?" Hiro asked. He was answered by the revving of a chainsaw.

The Steampunk Alchemist grabbed Hiro and dragged him over to another part of the room. He put his hands on one of the transmutation circles. The circle glowed and a small hole in the floor opened up. "Hide in here!" There were footsteps on the stairs. "Hurry!" Hiro crawled down into the opening, in which he barely fit. The Steampunk Alchemist closed it up just as the mysterious, chainsaw wielding man walked in.

"Grell Sutcliff." The Steampunk Alchemist said. "The lowest, most disgraceful Shinigami I've ever had the displeasure of meeting." The man bowed. "What are you doing here, Reaper?"

"A little bird told me that someone came to visit you, Eibon. I need to find this person." Grell said. "He has a very big death coming up."

_"Eibon? Death? What is this guy talking about?" _Hiro thought as he listened.

"He isn't here, I'm afraid. I sent him to Twilight Town." the Alchemist said.

"If I may," Grell pushed up his glasses, "How? It's a restricted area right now."

"You know me. I have many secret ways and loopholes."

"Ah, yes. So many secrets…" Grell chuckled. "I hope we meet again," Then he winked and opened a portal. "_Before_ I come to collect you"

As soon as he went through the portal, The Steampunk Alchemist ran over and let Hiro out. "Hurry! Grell has certain privileges, such as teleporting to restricted areas. He opened a portal to Twilight Town! Now may be the only chance you have! Hold still."

"Your name is Eibon?" Hiro asked while the Alchemist drew a circle around Hiro.

"Yes. I'm bit older than I look, too." Eibon answered. "There. Are you ready?"

Hiro nodded. _"Finally." _

"Good luck." Eibon said. "And if you ever want to learn alchemy, I've been looking for an apprentice."

Then Hiro was gone.

"How is she?" the mayor asked.

"She'll be fine. She's a remarkable girl. I've never seen anyone heal so fast." Ayaka, the town's best doctor, replied.

"Good… there were six other deaths last night. Looks like the monster she took down wasn't the only one." The mayor sat down next to Xion's bed and shook his head. "There are reports of flaming types of these creatures. And the scorched bodies to support those claims…"

"Then may Death be with us all." Ayaka said, bowing her head.

"Death? What a curious thing to say."


	7. Soulception

Chapter 6

Hiro stepped out of the portal. Thankfully, the man called Grell was nowhere to be seen. Hiro looked around. The sun was setting behind an enormous clock tower, casting a large shadow on a strip of shops. Hiro heard murmurs behind him. He turned around to see people looking out of their doors, then ducking inside and locking them. "_Strange…" _he thought.

"Excuse me…" said a small voice. Hiro looked down to find a young girl, no older than 5, in a purple sundress with a floral pattern. "You should go inside before the monsters come out…" Then she ran off and into a house down the street.

_"Monsters?" _he thought. _"What kind of monsters?" _Hiro decided to take the girl's advice and find a place to stay. He picked a direction and started walking.

Ayaka took the hot washcloth off Xion's forehead and replaced it with a new one. _"She works so hard for this town…" _Ayaka stood up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. She walked past an open room then stopped. _"Did I just see someone in there?"_ she wondered. She took a few steps back and poked her head in the doorway. There was nothing but an empty room, save for the bed and chairs that belonged there. _"Must've been my imagination." _

When she turned around she saw two green eyes looking back at her. Ayaka screamed and fell backwards. "Who are you?!" She asked.

The dark figure stepped into the light. "Now you can't say you don't recognize me. One of your _gods_ shows up and you don't know my face. Someone's not a very faithful subject."

"G-Grell Sutcliff…" Ayaka looked straight at him, hateful fire burning in her eyes. "You are no god…" She spit at his feet. "You are a traitor… a demon… so far from our lord…"

"Uh, YOUR lord. But not for long." He grinned fiendishly. "Not once MY lord comes to power."

"That will never happen…" Ayaka stood up. "Nothing is stronger than Lord Death. No conjuror of souls, no ancient beast. Not even the Steampunk Alchemist can defeat him."

"Ah yes, I spoke with him recently. You see I'm looking for someone… Eibon told me that this someone is in Twilight Town. If you'd just keep an eye out for me I'd be most grateful." Grell said with a chuckle.

"I will never serve a creature as low as-" the Shinigami grabbed her throat and picked her up off her feet with one hand.

Grell shook his head. "I think your brother will be very… _dead_ if you object." he said with a laugh. Ayaka strained against his grip and muttered something. "What was that, dear?"

"If you go within one-hundred worlds of him…" She closed her eyes painfully "…then the deal's off…"

Grell set her down and she gasped for air. "Then we've come to an agreement. Look out for a boy named Hiro. He should draw a fair amount of attention to himself. He isn't exactly from Twilight Town." Grell smiled and vanished leaving one last remark hanging in the air. "In fact, he serves your god…"

"Anyone here?" Hiro said as he pushed a curtain aside. He had found what appeared to be a clubhouse made in between two buildings in an alley. It had beanbags, chairs, a card table, a television and other furniture. The floor was covered with trash and the roof was nothing but a tarp. There didn't appear to be anyone there so Hiro didn't think anyone would mind if he spent the night. Hiro lied down on a beat-up couch and tried to sleep. _"Monsters… those wolves from the Death Room… were those the monsters?" _Hiro wondered. This town seemed to be terrified of them, whatever they were.

A low scuffle outside the curtain reached Hiro's ears. He opened his eyes and turned his head. _"Probably just my imagination." _ Then he heard it again, accompanied by a growl. Hiro slowly stood up. He grabbed a broken bottle of root beer on the ground and picked it up.

He walked across the room to the makeshift door. He listened for noises on the other side but heard nothing. He closed his eyes. _"One…Two…Three!" _ Hiro threw back the curtain and found nothing but the lantern lit road.

Hiro rubbed his head and laughed a bit. "I am way too jumpy." Then a he heard a snarl and the tarp came crashing down. Hiro fell and felt his way around until he found an edge. He climbed out and turned around just in time to see a Twilit wolf jumping towards him. It tackled him to the ground. Hiro grabbed the beast's face and held it away from his own.

_ "That was unexpected!" _Hiro felt the wolf's sharp claws digging into his legs and chest. He winced as he felt the blood trickle down his side. _"I can't hold this thing back much longer!" _Hiro looked the monster in the eyes. They were cold, black and angry. The thing mashed its teeth, Hiro barely keeping it away from him.

The wolf pushed harder against Hiro's hold and just when the wolf was about to win, Hiro noticed a marking on the creatures head. Drawn in blood. It was a circle with strange circles in it. It almost looked like… _"That's a transmutation circle!" _Hiro realized. _"Maybe if I just…" _Hiro used all of his strength and rolled the beast off of him. The wolf unsteadily regained its balance and Hiro stood up, waiting for the monster to move.

The creature lunged at him, but this time Hiro was ready. He jumped towards the wolf and wrapped an arm around its head. He then proceeded to flip over the beast, catching it in a headlock. The wolf struggled to no avail. Hiro quickly started to rub the circle off of the animal's head. The creature howled and… screamed…

No it was something _inside_ the wolf. Something that was put there with the circle. As Hiro kept rubbing the voice got fainter, until the mark was gone, and so was the voice. The wolf blacked out, now appearing to be a normal grey wolf, not uncommon in this area.

Hiro, exhausted, leaned down to the wolf to see if it was still breathing. When he confirmed it was still alive, he lay down on the couch again, wrapped himself in the fallen tarp, and fell asleep.

He sat elevated in a tall white throne. Before him, knelt the Shinigami Grell Sutcliff.

"The boy will soon be found, eliminated, and his soul destroyed. Everything is according to plan, my Lord." The red-haired Reaper reported.

"And the girl?"

"Hasn't come out of that coma for a few days. The poison in the medicine is doing the trick. A few more doses and her heart will stop."

"Excellent. Soon we'll get there, my faithful servant."

A buzz followed by an electronic voice rung out in the room. "Sir, a wolf has been decommissioned."

"So? Why interrupt to tell me the _one_ wolf is dead?"

"No Sir not dead. The Poe Soul was removed."

"Oh. Well that is certainly new."


End file.
